Philly Council panel advances plan to give pregnant women some relief

About Tom MacDonald

WHYY reporter Tom MacDonald is a lifelong Philadelphia area resident who has worked in the region since the mid-1980s. Tom started in commercial radio covering the MOVE standoff with police for WFIL-AM. He was also City Hall Bureau Chief covering government and politics for more than a decade for WWDB-FM.

Tom has been heard on numerous stations in the region during the decade he worked for Metro Traffic, doing news, traffic and weather.

He has won the Associated Press award for his coverage of the protests of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and a Religious Communicators award for a post-9/11 documentary he did with the late Peter Jennings.

Tom MacDonald is a lifelong Philadelphia area resident who has worked in the area since the mid 1980s. Tom started in commercial radio covering the MOVE standoff with police for WFIL-AM. He was also City Hall Bureau Chief covering government and politics for more than a decade for WWDB-FM.

Tom has been heard on numerous stations in the region during the decade he worked for Metro Traffic, doing news, traffic and weather.

He has won the Associated Press award for his coverage of the protests of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and a Religious Communicators award for a post 9-11 documentary he did with the late Peter Jennings.

Tom MacDonald is a lifelong Philadelphia area resident who has worked in the area since the mid 1980s. Tom started in commercial radio covering the MOVE standoff with police for WFIL-AM. He was also City Hall Bureau Chief covering government and politics for more than a decade for WWDB-FM.

Tom has been heard on numerous stations in the region during the decade he worked for Metro Traffic, doing news, traffic and weather.

He has won the Associated Press award for his coverage of the protests of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and a Religious Communicators award for a post 9-11 documentary he did with the late Peter Jennings.

A City Council committee has approved a bill to give pregnant women an official break at work in Philadelphia.

Most employers give pregnant women a break in the workplace, but this bill makes it official, said Councilman Bill Greenlee.

"Things like letting women take a little extra break, letting them drink water at their workplace, using restrooms more frequently, that kind of thing most employers do anyway," Greenlee said Friday. "Unfortunately, some times we have to pass laws for employees who do not do the right thing. This closes any possible loopholes, any possible problems."

Reynelle Staley of the Commission on Human Relations says the bill is necesary because of some employers. She offered a few examples, including the experiences of a nurse and a waitress.

"She was terminated after she applied for an extended leave of absence after her doctor recommended she be put on light duty," Staley told the committee. "Jackie was a waitress at a local restaurant, she was pregnant and had to use the restroom frequently due to morning sickness. Her employer terminated her saying she 'turned into a different person.'"

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